Operation: Ishida Date
by Chenchi
Summary: It's a Junato, but don't run away! it's a rather nice story, I think: We discover that Jun's really a sweetie, but will Matt give her a chance? And what's with Tai?
1. A Plan is Hatched

DISCLAIMER: Alright, this is the deal - I don't own Digimon, I'm not making money off this story, and I'm a college student - which means you shouldn't sue me, and even if you did, you wouldn't get any money

A/N: This is my second complete fanfic - my first sucked much, and I think this is a considerable improvement, though it's certainly not great - which is precisely why I need feedback! PLEASE R/R! Thanks

CONTACT: Ishida Date

"Quick, hide me!" exclaimed the blonde teenager.

"Hide you? Where?" asked the other boy. The two sophomores were standing in the middle of their high school's courtyard, which was a big, empty, grassy square, with a picnic table or two strewn about. There was literally nowhere for a 6'0 blonde to hide.

"Oh no! Tai, she's coming!"

"Who?" he asked, before looking up. Matt, who was now frantically hiding behind his best friend Tai, pointed to a girl in the distance. "Ohh, I see. Hey Jun! Over here!"

"What are you doing!" yelled Matt.

"Heh heh. I'm doing you a favor buddy!"

"What? Tai, I am so going to kick your..."

"She's coming Matt, you'd better get back to hiding if you don't want to get caught" Tai countered before Matt could finish his threat. The blonde digidestined went back to ducking in the brown-haired soccer star's shadow.

"Hey Tai!" Jun Motomiya hurriedly ran up to Tai. "Have you seen Matt?"

"Um, no I haven't Jun." Tai responded. 'Can she not see that he's hiding right behind my back? What a ditz - just like her brother.'

"Awww! I can't seem to find that boy anywhere! I just walked up to him right now to give him a kiss, and he ran off! I thought I saw him run into the courtyard, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. You know, any other guy in the world would absolutely love it if a beautiful upperclassman had a crush on him. Right, Tai?"

"Yeah, right...well, I know where Matt is Jun." BUMP! Matt punched Tai in the back. "Ha ha, I mean, like, can I talk to you for a minute, Jun?"

"Well, it seems like I'm not going to find Matt now...so sure Tai, what's up?"

"Um, well let's talk over there at the picnic tables," Tai replied as he motioned to the left. As Jun turned her back, Tai faced his friend. "Now get out of here! You owe me one - anything I choose, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever Tai, sure - thanks!" whispered Matt before he ran like a cheetah out of the school grounds.

Tai followed Jun to the tables. It was a crisp, clear autumn day. The air had a slight chill to it, and the leaves were turning beautiful shades of orange and yellow. It was the kind of day that anyone would adore. Anyone that is, but Tai Kamiya. All it meant to the spiky-haired boy was the beginning of the offseason for soccer. Tai had always loved soccer, but he'd taken his obsession to another level over the last year. He had suddenly grown into one of the best young soccer players in the region, and was being recruited by universities near and far. Tai couldn't wait to start up again and wow the recruits. As a matter of fact, he was considering his college choices when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Jun."

"No problem Tai. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh.um, just wanted to say...uh...it's some nice weather we've been having huh?"

"What? What are you talking about? You know you hate the autumn! You've only been telling every soul in the school since soccer season finished that you wished spring lasted the whole year!"

"Oh yeah...right...um, well anyway, I gotta go! See ya Jun!" Tai turned on his heel and started to rapidly retreat when he heard a sigh. 'Was that Jun? Ugh.I want to go home.but I don't want to be mean.after all, she's a nice girl, I guess.'

Tai turned back around. "What's the matter Jun?"

"Oh, nothing," Jun replied.

"Okay, great, well, I'm off then!" Tai started walking away again.

"Well, it's just..." Jun started. This time, Tai sighed. Then he took a seat opposite Jun.

"Okay, so what's on your mind, sport?"

"Sport? Dude, you do have soccer on the brain, like everyone says. Well, um, okay - I'll tell you, but don't tell Matt okay?" Tai nodded back at her. "Alright, well, I know that Matt was hiding behind you right now."

"Oh. Well why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I didn't want to bother him. I mean, I know I go crazy and chase him all over the place, and that I'm the president of his fan club, and that I scream louder than all the girls combined at his concerts, and that I refer to Monday as Mattday, and that all my clothes have The Teenage Wolves logo on them, and I held that protest at the Grammy's when Matt didn't get nominated, and that..."

"Yeah yeah, I know, we all know - what's your point Jun?"

"Well, it's just this. I go crazy when I'm around Matt. But that's not how I really am. All that Matt knows about me is how I act when I'm in his presence, and what my annoying brother says about me. I can't help but get this rush when I'm around him! I wish.I just wish he could see how I really am. Just one measly little date! And then, at least then he'd know what I'm really like. And then, ya know, we'd live happily ever after." Tai gave her a strange look. "Or not.but then at least he could decide based on who I really am - not on how that crazy fangirl side of me acts." Jun turned her head down and to the side. There was complete quiet for a few seconds.

"Uh, Jun, are you okay?"

"...Yeah." she replied. Jun tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. Soon, her silent sobbing turned into an opening of the floodgates.

'Oh jeez.what do I do? What do I do?' thought Tai. He handed the crying girl a tissue and put his hands on her shoulder. "It'll be okay Jun."

"Oh Tai! I love him sooo much!" The skinny auburn-haired girl quickly turned and buried her head in Tai's chest. Tai, never very good in these situations, didn't know what to do at first. But he caught on quickly and put his arms around the older girl.

And suddenly, like a lightning bolt, it hit him.

"I've got it!" Tai yelled, pushing Jun right off of him, tumbling her onto the grass. She stared up at him with a blank face. Tai, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just knocked Jun onto the ground, continued on. "I've got the best idea! Watch, this is what we do..."

Several minutes later...

"I don't think that's gonna work Tai. I mean, if you hit him over the head with a blunt object, you could kill him. I don't want to be dating a dead Matt, ya know."

Tai put his head down. "Well, it sounded like a good idea in my head.wait, I've got another one! Oh, never mind, it's stupider than the first."

"No, just tell me Tai, I'm sure it's not stupider than the first one."

"Hey!" They both shared a quick laugh. "Well, I told Matt right now that he owed me a favor, and that it could be whatever I wanted."

"And you're going to tell him to go out with me!"

"Well, not exactly. I don't think Matt would do that." Jun nodded her head down. "Well, I mean, we want him to get to know the real you, right? It's like he's meeting a whole other person...so why don't we make him think he's meeting a whole other person?"

"Hmm…so what does that mean?" Tai told her his whole plan, which turned out to be pretty good, surprisingly. And soon, the two went off to their separate homes, ready to put what the two called Operation: Ishida Date, into action.

To Be Continued...(alright, you got me, I got lazy and didn't finish it - I thought this was gonna be a short fanfic, and that this would be the halfway point, but when I got this far I saw that I could easily make this into a 3 or 4 chapter fic)

I'll finish the story if I get any type of positive feedback on this - but please, ANY type of feedback is welcome, even if it isn't good (except for the worthless kind - ya know what I mean, like, "JuN SuX! Mimato 4EVER! 3 3 3"), so please tell me what needs to be worked on, and what you thought of it - thanks!


	2. Here We Go!

DISCLAIMER: Alright, this is the deal - I don't own Digimon, I'm not making money off this story, and I'm a college student - which means you shouldn't sue me, and even if you did, you wouldn't get any money  
  
A/N: This is my second complete fanfic - my first sucked much, and I think this is a considerable improvement (though it's certainly not great) - which is exactly why I need feedback! PLEASE R/R! Thanks  
  
CONTACT: tenchi@post.com  
  
Operation: Ishida Date  
  
Tai walked into the living room. His sister Kari was sitting on the couch, watching her favorite show, Card Captor Sakura, on T.V. 'Ugh, why does she have to be here,' Tai thought to himself.  
  
Kari was supposed to be on a picnic with the younger digi-destined, but that plan fell through. She had been making sandwiches when the first drops started hitting the ground. Soon, a slight drizzle turned into a downpour. When Kari heard the rain coming down, she decided to call T.K. to see what everyone was going to do. T.K. had caught a slight cold, and his mom forbade him from going out, but he had talked to Yolei and she said that the others wanted to meet at Dai's place for an indoor picnic. As much as Kari hated going there, she went anyway, not wanting her special sandwiches to go to waste. Unfortunately, things came up for both Yolei and Iori at the last minute, and Kari found herself the only guest at Daisuke's house. It wasn't five minutes before Kari made a polite excuse and went back home. Something about a dentist/birthday party she really had to go to. But Tai had been planning on Kari being out for at least a couple hours - her being home really threw a wrench into his plans.  
  
"Jeez Kari, don't you have something else to do? You know, like outside or something?"  
  
"Um, if you haven't noticed, it's raining cats and dogs out there. Why? Do you have a girl coming over?"  
  
"Well, nooo.I mean, yes, well, sort of."  
  
"Ooooh, Tai has a girlfriend!"  
  
"Shut up Kari!"  
  
"Who is it, Sora?"  
  
"No Kari, it's not Sora. And by the way, I wouldn't be talking, Mrs. Takaishi."  
  
"Shut up Tai! Besides, we're not talking about me. So, who's this girl?"  
  
"Okay, well she's not my girlfriend alright? And actually, it's." Tai was saying as the doorbell rang.  
  
Kari then said, "Ooooh, she's here, I think I'll get the door!"  
  
"No, I'll get it!" replied Tai as he raced his sister to the front of the apartment. They met in a tangled mess of limbs at the door.  
  
"Get off of me Tai!"  
  
"I can't! You get off of me!"  
  
"Ugh!"  
  
"Get off!"  
  
The doorbell rang again. Tai and Kari were finally able to separate, and Tai opened the door with his sister eagerly looking from behind.  
  
"Hey Tai..."  
  
"Jun?!" exclaimed a surprised Kari. "You're going out with Jun?!"  
  
"We're NOT going out!" replied a blushing Tai. Jun was blushing too. "Okay, let me explain to you what's happening, squirt. Anyway, I think I'm going to need your help."  
  
Tai caught Kari up on the situation. And it turned out to be quite a good thing for Tai and Jun that Kari's picnic got rained out. First of all, Jun had no idea what she should wear. Secondly, Tai had the fashion taste of a toad on crack (A/N - alright, doesn't make sense, but it was the first thing that came to my mind). But Kari took care of everything. Tai drove the girls back to Jun's house, where they spent an hour looking through Jun's closet. Then they spent another hour getting Jun's makeup just right. Tai wouldn't have minded waiting so much - after all, a World Cup qualifying match was on tv - but Davis was there too. And Tai was getting sick of all the questions about Kari. "Is she really going to her doctor's birthday party today?" "What's Kari's favorite number?" "What's Kari's middle name?" "What's Kari's favorite species of sea turtle?" "Does Kari's room have blinds?" Tai was just about to blow his lid when the girls came out.  
  
"Finished," Kari said. "Doesn't she look great, Tai?" But Tai didn't say anything back. He couldn't say anything - not with jaw wide open the way it was. She looked more than good, she was stunning. Jun wore a lavender colored cotton dress. It clung to her nicely, and accentuated curves Tai didn't know she even had. And instead of the overmade look Jun often went for in makeup, Kari had put a light amount on her, with a light tope lipstick. Her hair too was done nicely, in a way Tai had never seen before. She was gorgeous.  
  
Jun looked down. "I look terrible, don't I? I knew it."  
  
"No no no! You look.well, you look.you're beautiful!" Tai managed to stammer out.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you look, like, really really good."  
  
"Yeah sis, I don't think I've ever seen you look this good," Davis injected.  
  
"Thanks guys," replied Jun.  
  
Tai looked at his watch. It was.4:50! "Oh my God, I told Matt you'd meet him at 5:00! I completely lost track of time - we've got to get going Jun!" Tai loaded up Jun and Kari in the car, pushing Jun into the passenger's side and literally throwing Kari head first into the back. He sped like a demon to the Ishida's apartment, and managed to get there in time.  
  
"4:59, perfect!" Tai clamored. "Alright Jun, ready?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"Okay, now try not to be nervous, okay?" Tai told Jun, who nodded. "You're worried, aren't you? Duh, of course you are. Just try to relax, you're going to be great, he's going to think you're great, okay?"  
  
"Thanks Tai," Jun smiled back. Then she hugged Tai, who was quite caught off guard. "You're a great friend, I owe you sooo big."  
  
"Um, it's nothing," Tai replied, and for the second time that day, blushed up a storm. Kari was watching everything from the back seat, and was thinking to herself, 'Hmmm.if I didn't know better." when her thought was interrupted.  
  
"Alright, wait here squirt, I'm going to go up to Matt's with Jun, k?"  
  
"Whatever Tai, just hurry back, I want to get home."  
  
"Alright, be right back." Tai walked Jun up to the Ishida's apartment and rang the door. They waited half a minute, but no one came. Tai was about to ring the bell again when the door swung open. Matt came out looking stylish, as usual. Dark dress pants with a dark blue button down. He had a black sports jacket slung over his shoulder. And of course, his hair was perfect.  
  
Matt smiled in Jun's direction. 'Oh my God, did he just smile at me? Did Matt Ishida smile at me, Jun Motomiya?' But before Jun could get too excited, Matt's expression changed. His face metamorphosized from a happy, smiling expression to one of confusion, and then to recognition, and finally to disappointment. Jun wanted to cry right there. 'Oh, I see. He was happy until he realized who I was. This is stupid, I knew it would never work. Matt could never like me. I should leave.' Jun was about to turn around and run home when a hand grasped her wrist. It was Tai's. He gave her a little smile and a wink. 'What does that mean?' she thought. She wasn't sure, but suddenly, she felt better. She relaxed a little, and Tai let go of her hand. Jun blushed slightly as she thought, 'that actually felt kind of good. I wish he wouldn't have let go.' But she soon came back to her senses. Before she knew it, Matt went back into his apartment and Tai took her aside.  
  
"Earth to Jun, you there?"  
  
"Uh yeah, what happened?"  
  
"What, you weren't listening?! Jeez Jun, you'd think you'd be a little more enthused. Anyway, Matt just went to get his umbrella. Well that's what he says, I think he went to look at a mirror cause I told him he had a hair out of place. So, it's all set. I guess you saw he wasn't exactly happy, but I reminded him that he owed me whatever I wanted. Now you're on - make him see the real you, the you that he's missing. I know you can do it."  
  
"Thanks Tai, you're such a sweetie."  
  
"Uh, yeah, well, okay, good luck!" stammered Tai. He then ran back downstairs. Jun looked over the fire escape and Tai waved at her before getting into his mom's car. Jun waved and walked back to the door, which Matt was just locking.  
  
"Okay Jun, ready?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, let's go already then," replied Matt.  
  
He opened his umbrella and walked with her to the apartment's elevator, arm in arm. Jun thought to herself, 'this is nice, I'm arm in arm with Matt!' But soon, it wasn't so nice anymore. Matt remained quiet while they waited for the elevator. And his arm was loose around Jun's. 'Hmm.maybe I should break the awkwardness.'  
  
"So Matt, um, when's your next gig?"  
  
"You know when it is, you're our fan club's president."  
  
"Oh yeah. Well.uh, like, your hair looks nice."  
  
"Thanks," he simply replied. The elevator door opened and the two stepped in.  
  
"Matt, um, what kind of car do you have?"  
  
"Why do you keep asking me questions you know the answers too, Jun? I've got a 97' Nissan Sentra, you've seen it a million times. You know, you don't have to start with the idle chit-chat. This is stupid. I don't want to be here, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't promise Tai." As soon as he said it, Matt felt sorry. 'Why did I say that? Not even Jun deserves to be treated like that.' He looked over at Jun. Her head was looking down at the ground. He'd never seen her like that before - Jun always bounced back whenever he said anything mean to her. The light was glinting off her cheek. Was it a drop of rain? Was it a tear? 'Oh no,' Matt thought, 'Did I make her cry?'  
  
Just then, the elevator door opened, and Jun stepped out. She walked ahead of Matt, who softly called out to her. Then she started walking faster and faster. Soon, she was running. She ran as fast as her short heels let her. 'I'm so stupid' is all she kept thinking to herself. She started running faster. She lost one of her heels, but she kept running. Then, she tripped over the other heel and fell on her knees.  
  
'Oh crap,' thought Matt. He had been trying to catch up with Jun and had been yelling out her name when he saw her fall. 'I'm like the world's biggest jerk,' he said to himself. Jun was on her knees, bawling her eyes out when Matt finally reached her.  
  
"Here," Matt said, offering Jun her lost shoe. She looked up and held out her hand. "Nuh uh," Matt replied. He held his hand out to her and pulled her up to her feet. Then he led Jun to the grass underneath a tree. There, he slipped her shoe back on her feet. "Perfect fit, huh Cinderella?" Matt commented while smiling a cute smile. Jun looked up at him and couldn't help but smile back. The two shared a quick little laugh, and then got up.  
  
"I'm sorry Jun," Matt apologized. "If you would do me the honor, I'd still like to take you out to dinner. I really want to take you. So.will you still go on a date with this jerk?"  
  
Jun wiped a tear from her face. "Hmm.well it depends, where are we going?"  
  
Matt smiled. "We're going a few places, but first to dinner. How do you like seafood?" And with that, the two started walking back to Matt's car.  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Alright, and the verdict is.good? Bad? In between? Please leave some feedback, it helps me improve on my writing. I thought this chapter kind of started out bad, but got better at the end. And sorry to keep you waiting (if you were waiting), things have been kind of crazy lately. Once again, PLEASE leave some feedback, it encourages me to keep writing - whether or not it's positive or negative (as long as the negative comments are constructive). 


	3. Dinner and a Movie

DISCLAIMER: Okay, here we go again - I don't own Digimon, and I'm not making money off of this story, so pleeeeease don't sue me.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Seriously, I'm overjoyed. I'd like to thank each and every person for their review, every one has encouraged me, I hope that all of you that have read my story so far continue to read. Oh, something has come to my attention JUST as I'm writing. I notice that I'm writing with a mix of the Japanese and English names.but eh, you'll just have to deal with it I guess.  
  
CONTACT: tenchi@post.com  
  
Operation: Ishida Date  
  
Matt and Jun walked out of Matt's car and up to Silhouette, one of the most expensive restaurants in town. It was located on the lake, with the windows looking out over a beautiful view.  
  
"Oh my gosh Matt, you're taking me to Silhouette? This is like the most exclusive restaurant in town! You have to get reservations months in advance. But you didn't know that were going to have a date.how'd you."  
  
"Uh, well."  
  
"Oh I know! Silly me, you must have just told the reservation guy that you were Matt Ishida from The Teenage Wolves!"  
  
"Heh heh, um, well actually."  
  
"Hey Matt!" a voice interrupted. Matt and Jun turned around to see from whom the voice was coming from. To Jun's surprise, it was.  
  
"Izzy! My man!" exclaimed Matt as the two shook hands.  
  
"Hey Izzy.why are dressed like that?" asked Jun. Izzy was wearing a white dress shirt, with black pants and black tie, and for once, didn't have a laptop in his hands.  
  
"Huh? Sorry, do I know you?"  
  
"You dork, it's me, Jun."  
  
"Jun?!" Izzy exclaimed. "Who, you look totally different. Hey Matt, what are you doing here with Jun? I thought you said you had a blind date."  
  
"Uh.well you see, Jun is my blind date."  
  
"Huh? I don't get it.well I guess you can just tell me later."  
  
"Alright. Anyway, were you able to get me a table?"  
  
"But of course! I'm an assistant manager here!" Izzy replied. Matt gave him a questioning look."  
  
"You fuddled with the reservations using your laptop."  
  
"Uh, yeah, how'd you know?"  
  
"Lucky guess."  
  
"Anyway, right this way.Lilly will be your waitress tonight."  
  
The couple was led to their table, by a window looking out over the lake, of course. 'That Izzy, he sure does goes all the way when doing a friend a favor,' thought Matt.  
  
"Oh, the view's so beautiful," remarked Jun. She was resting her head on the backs of her hands and looking out at the lake. It was quite a sight. The rain had stopped, and the clouds had cleared a little, allowing the moon to shine down on the sparkling water.  
  
"Not as beautiful as you," Matt quipped back. 'Wait a minute, did I just say that?' Matt thought. 'It must have been an automatic, reaction type of thing.but I guess I do mean it, she does look pretty tonight. And she's being quite charming.wait, wait Matt, this is Jun, remember?! But still.'  
  
Meanwhile, Jun was in shock herself, and her face was glowing bright red. She turned her head away from the lake and from Matt. 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe he said that! Matt Ishida told me I was beautiful? Maybe he just said that to make me feel better, or cause he felt guilty for being mean to me earlier. That's probably it.but then again, maybe."  
  
"Are you ready to order?" asked the waitress. She was a welcome relief to the silence. The two broke out of thought and ordered. Matt decided to have a steak and shrimp plate, and Jun ordered crab.  
  
"Very good, I'll be back soon with your orders," said the waitress before she walked away.  
  
"Um, so, yeah.you know what I just realized Jun?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, I don't know anything about you. I mean, you're my fan club president, and I see you all the time, but I really don't know anything about you, so, tell me."  
  
"Tell you?"  
  
"Yeah, tell me all about you."  
  
"Uh, well, it might take a while.I mean, you want to know all about me?"  
  
"Yeah, we have time."  
  
"Hmm, okay." And with that, Jun proceeded to tell Matt all about herself. Matt was surprised at exactly how much he didn't know about her. No, Jun wasn't going to be a professional groupee. As a matter of fact, she wanted to be a musician too, but not a rocker. Jun was a pianist, and training to be a performer of classical piano. There was a lot of other stuff too. She enjoyed drawing. She had been in track for years before spending all her free time on the fan club. She didn't get along with her mom. She was on even worse terms with her dad. And she constantly worried about Davis.  
  
Matt opened up too, and by the time dinner arrived, the two were talking and laughing like they were old friends. And they were looking at each other like they were in love.  
  
"Hmm.this is kinda hard," Jun said as she tried to break open the crab legs.  
  
"Let me help," replied Matt as he reached over the table. But just as he got to Jun's plate, she broke the shell open.and splattered crab bits all over Matt's hands, arms, shirt, and face.  
  
"Oops, I'm sorry."  
  
"Um, it's okay, I'll just." Matt paused when he started to hear.laughter. It was Jun. She was giggling like crazy. "Hey, are you laughing at me?"  
  
"Um, hehehe, uh, hehe, no, hahahahaha."  
  
"Well, we'll see who's laughing now." Matt grabbed a shrimp, and flicked it at Jun. It flew threw the air and landed on Jun's chest. Then, it slid down, into her dress.  
  
"Matt!!!" screamed Jun. As she tried to discreetly remove the shrimp, Matt busted up laughing. It wasn't long before Izzy came over to see what the commotion was about.  
  
"Guys, keep it down! This is a high class establishment, I don't want to have to kick." SPLAT! Izzy's face was hit by a piece of crab meat before he could finish. "Jeez Matt, grow up!" Izzy stormed away. Matt and Jun watched him leave before giggling again.  
  
"Oh wow, that was so funny. Did you see the look on his face?" asked Matt.  
  
"Oh yeah, he didn't look too happy," giggled Jun. She turned back to what was left of her food. As she reached for her fork, Jun knocked over the butter. 'Uh oh, I'm making more of a mess,' she thought. Soon, Jun had knocked over her water, wine, and even a plate. With every mishap, she became embarrassed, making her more nervous, and thus, more clumsy. Matt thought all the spilling was funny, but noticed after a while that Jun wasn't talking much anymore, and was blushing in embarrassment. He asked for the check, paid for dinner, and led Jun out the door.  
  
"Hey Jun."  
  
"Yes Matt?"  
  
"Are you tired?"  
  
'Oh, well I suppose this is how the date's gonna end,' thought Jun. 'I should just tell him that I am tired and that I want to go home, that way he won't feel bad.'  
  
"Well."  
  
"Cause if you aren't, I thought we could go to a movie."  
  
"Huh? Oh, well, yeah, okay!" exlaimed Jun. "Hmm.I guess I was wrong."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Oh, did I say that out loud? Heh heh, oh, nothing," replied Jun, smiling.  
  
Matt drove with Jun to the theatre. It was packed, except for a showing for a French romantic comedy. The two decided to go to that one.  
  
"It's supposed to be real good!"  
  
"It had better be," said Matt. "I'm not exactly a fan of romantic movies."  
  
An hour and a half later.  
  
"This movie is sooo good!" whispered Matt to Jun.  
  
"I'm glad you like it."  
  
Jun reached into the big tub of popcorn she and Matt got. As she reached in, her fingertips touched Matt's. Jun pulled away quickly and blushed. 'Boy, today's been my day for blushing,' she thought to herself. As she put her arm back on the armrest, Jun felt Matt hands touch her own. Jun, surprised to say the least, threw her arm up into the air, knocking the popcorn up with it. The kernels went flying all over and around Matt.  
  
"Ohh Matt, I'm sorry!" apologized Jun. Matt just grinned back, while a barrage of shhhes and laughs attacked the two. A few minutes later, while the credits started to roll, the two ran out of the screening room to avoid being eyed by the people sitting around them.  
  
"Well that was fun!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry.again, Matt."  
  
"Eh, it's okay. Let's go for a walk - the park's just across the street." Matt took her hand and led her to the park. This time, when his hand touched her's, Jun didn't throw it off.  
  
They walked together without saying a word. Jun was thinking about how she made a fool of herself, at least, in her eyes, and also about getting to hold her longtime crush's hand. Matt was thinking how strange it was that he was having feelings for the girl that for the longest time annoyed him to no ends. And then, the rain came.  
  
"Oh no, it's drizzling!"  
  
"That's alright, let's get back to my car," replied Matt. He took off his sports coat and held it over Jun's head as they ran back through the park. As they swiftly made their way back, Jun slipped on the moist ground.  
  
"Uhh!" she grunted, before falling into a puddle of mud. The dark stuff drenched Jun, who was now seated in the puddle.  
  
"Oh no!! Just look at me!" Jun held up her arms and looked at her dress while still sitting in the mud. Then she started to cry. 'This was my one chance! This could have been a perfect night! But every step of the way, I kept messing things up,' she thought. Then, June felt mud splash in her face. She looked up to see.Matt in the mud beside her!  
  
"Matt! What are you doing?!"  
  
"Nothing.I just thought I'd join you down here. It's actually quite nice. I didn't know what I'd been missing all these years trying staying away from puddles of mud." Matt smiled at Jun. Jun couldn't help but laugh through the tears that were still coming down her face. Then, Matt stood up and held out his hand, and for the second time that day, he picked Jun up and walked her to his car.  
  
As they drove, Matt asked Jun, "Is it okay if we stop by Tai's real quick? I need to pick up some notes from him."  
  
"Uh huh, sure." replied Jun, who was half asleep on the newspapers placed in the passenger's side seat. As Matt called Tai on his cell to meet him downstairs, Jun thought, 'Matt's such a sweet guy. I can't believe he jumped in the mud with me! You know, he'd make just a great.'  
  
"Friend?" finished Matt.  
  
Instantly, Jun sat up, and confused, look at Matt.  
  
"You were talking in your sleep I guess.anyway, we're here. Matt got out of the car. "Tai's right over there in the front lawn." Matt pointed at a figure standing in the apartment complex's lawn. "I'll be right back." Matt walked away from his car.  
  
"Baka! Baka! Baka!" yelled Jun as she hit herself in the head.  
  
As Matt walked toward the figure and near the complex's lights, he noticed that it wasn't one figure, but three. Tai was standing with Kari and Sora.  
  
"Hey Matt!" greeted Sora.  
  
"Oh, hey Sora, what's up?"  
  
"Not much. I heard you just went out on a date with Jun. Hmm.why are you so muddy?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Well, you'll have to tell me about it later, I was just leaving." She hugged Matt (Sora never minded getting muddy anyway), then said bye to Kari and hugged her too. Then she moved towards Tai.  
  
"And again Tai, thanks." She kissed Tai quickly on the cheek, hugged him, and ran to her car.  
  
"You dawggg!" exclaimed Matt as he tapped Tai on the back. "I thought you'd never have the guts to ask out Sora!"  
  
"She was up in Tai's room, with the door locked, for like 2 hours!" inserted Kari.  
  
"Shut up Kari, you're such a brat. And Matt, it's not like that at all."  
  
"Whatever dude, I know what I just saw."  
  
"You know what, Matt? Sometimes you can be a real jerk."  
  
Matt suddenly shoved Tai. Tai nearly fell down, but regained his balance and pushed Matt right back.  
  
"Oh no.not again," Kari sighed.  
  
Soon, the two boys were rolling on the ground. Jun saw the fighting, and ran up to Kari.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I really don't know.these two are always going at it."  
  
"We have to stop them!"  
  
"But it's so funny!"  
  
"What? But."  
  
"Don't worry Jun, just watch."  
  
The two boys tussled on the ground. They rolled back and forth throwing punches, and occasionally landing them.  
  
"Dude, watch my hair! You'll mess it up!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Take this gel-head!"  
  
"Oh, now you really got me mad."  
  
"My goggles, my goggles!"  
  
"Hey! No kicking! You have an unfair advantage!"  
  
"Give me back my goggles!"  
  
It was quite a ridiculous sight. The two were on their feet now. Matt was holding the goggles out of Tai's reach, while Tai started heading Matt like he was a soccer ball. Too bad it doesn't hurt as much when you head-butt somebody in their arms and back, instead of on their head.  
  
"Hey, no heading either! That's not fair!"  
  
"What is fair to you? It's not my fault that the only thing you can do play the guitar!"  
  
"Um.that was quite lame."  
  
Tai and Matt stopped fighting and stood looking at each other. Then suddenly, they started laughing.  
  
"What's happening?" asked Jun.  
  
"Well, they've grown up enough to not take their fights seriously. They just haven't grown up enough to stop fighting entirely," replied Kari.  
  
"Alright dude, here's my notes - don't lose them!"  
  
"Alright Tai - hey, so what happened with Sora?"  
  
"Umm.I'll tell you another time."  
  
"Yeah, sure.you're telling me tomorrow, after my concert!"  
  
"Oh man, that's tomorrow night?!"  
  
"You forgot?"  
  
"Uh, noooo.I'll be there, and I'll bring everybody."  
  
"Alright, you'd better. I'll see you then, dude." Matt and Tai gave each other quick, manly hugs, and then Matt departed with Jun quickly in toe. But before they left, Jun looked back at Tai. He matched her gaze. Matt and Kari both caught this brief look.  
  
'What was that?!' thought Kari as she walked back up to her apartment with Tai.  
  
'Hmm, I wonder.' thought Matt. He drove Jun home and walked her to the door.  
  
"I had a lot of fun Matt."  
  
"I did too. You're great."  
  
Jun bowed her head slightly and blushed.again. As she lifted her head up, she saw Matt's face coming towards her. She froze. She couldn't move. Then, lightly, Matt kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Well, goodnight Jun. I'll see you at the concert tomorrow. You should hang out with Tai and everybody."  
  
Jun was grasping her cheek. Through the emotions flying up in her, Jun was somehow able to wave goodbye to her date. Then she found her way to her room, flopped on her bed, and proceeded to lie there awake for the next three hours.  
  
What will happen at the concert? What were Tai and Sora doing in his room? And what was with that look Tai and Jun shared? Next time, on another exciting episode of "Digimon, Operation: Ishida Date"  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Alright, and the verdict is.good? Bad? In between? Please leave some feedback, it helps me improve on my writing. I don't know what I feel about this chapter. As I was writing it, I felt that there was simultaneously too much to write and too little to write. I felt like I was rushing the scenes, but that not enough interesting stuff was going on. Anyway, I hope it's alright. Once again, PLEASE leave some feedback, it encourages me to keep writing - whether or not it's positive or negative (as long as the negative comments are constructive). 


	4. Broken Lamps and Broken Hearts

Chenchi: Alright readers, its time to continue on with the most popular fan fiction piece in all Digimon history!

Jyou: What are you talking about? You're four chapters in and have like…two comments.

Chenchi: Well, I choose to believe that's because after people have read a chapter, they're so enthralled by it that they can hardly breathe, much less hit the "Review" button.

Jyou: You don't think it's because this is a story involving Jyou and Sora, two unlikely friends? Or the fact that you only update once every six months?

Chenchi: Well, that could be it, too. At least that's better than thinking the lack of reviews is due to my crumby writing skills!

Jyou: Okay, okay, now that you're weak attempt at trying to cull more reviews is over, let's get to the story.

Chenchi: You're right Jyou! Let's get going with chapter 4! Oh, by the way, this chapter shifts the POV from third to first...let's get inside Jyou's head!

Jyou: Wha..?

Chenchi: No time to argue, here we go!

An Unlikely Friendship

Chp 4: As Yet Untitled

Christmastime in Tokyo – what a strange time of year! We love to celebrate it, but most of us don't really understand it. I find it funny (and a little sad) whenever I asked any of the Digi-destined about what "Christmas means." The usual answers? Songs, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, decorations and, get this, romantic love.

My family and I attend a small church in Odaiba, and I always like going to Christmas Eve services. It helps me to remember what the holiday is supposed to be about. Still, to me, Odaiba is a strange place to be around this time a year. I don't know, maybe it's because of the Christmas tree in the mall surrounded by lighted dolphins, hearts and other assorted fish decorations. Maybe it's something else.

Nope, it IS the neon dolphin Christmas tree.

This year though, I feel a different emotion that I've never felt around Christmastime. In addition to the joyful feelings and the confusion and bitterness toward how we celebrate this time of year, I'm feeling something else.

Jealousy.

Yes, jealousy. And in the time of year when I'm supposed to be most giving!

And jealous over what? Well, it's actually regarding _whom_.

I've had to admit to myself. I'm jealous of a lot of my friends, because they're going to spend time with her. With Sora.

And when I realize this, I feel like punching myself in the face (with my glasses off, of course). Sora and I have become very close over her first semester at Todai. Really, I would say we've become the best of friends. But where does friendship cross the line into "liking" somebody?

I don't really know the answer to that. I've never had a friend that I "liked." Mimi was never really a "friend," in the sense that Sora is. With Sora, we spend so much time together – studying, eating and just chatting. In fact, I don't really know if I've EVER had a friend like her.

But do I like her? I don't know, but I do know that I love being around her. And even if I don't "like" her, I'm still jealous about the inevitable – that I won't be monopolizing her time during this break, like I do at Todai.

I mean, it's great that she spends every minute she can with the old gang, but what bothers me is this: if she acts the way towards me like she used to (as slight friends? Good acquaintances? Barely buddies?), does that mean our friendship, which I've begun to value so much, is just one of convenience? Are we getting closer because I'm the only old friend she has at Tokyo U?

Sheesh. Will I ever stop being a worrier?

"What a lovely tree!" Kari exclaimed, pointing at the dolphin-ornament covered Christmas tree. She turned to the tall, slender student, asking, "Don't you think so, Jyou?"

He grimaced and remarked, "Well, actually..."

Tai interrupted, "Don't be such a killjoy, Jyou! It's Christmas!"

It was December 23rd and the Digi-destined were gathered at the mall to look at the _interesting_ tree and to do some last minute shopping. Everyone was having fun and really treasuring the time – in the busyness of life and the separation of college, the group rarely met altogether anymore.

Jyou, however, seemed more sullen than usual. He trailed behind the rest and they flooded the stores and caused all sorts of commotion walking through the building. As the group walked between stores, Izzy caught up with his friend.

"Hey Jyou, why so glum?"

"Uh, it's nothing Izzy."

Izzy gave Jyou a quizzical look. His mind was cranking, as Jyou could tell.

"Is it because of Mimi?" Izzy asked.

Izzy figured Mimi would be a sore subject. She had come to visit and had dropped the big news that she planned on coming back for college, starting the next fall. She had also talked non-stop about her "hunky" boyfriend back in New York.

But Jyou anwered back, "No, Izzy, honestly, it's not her."

"Then, what?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

And with that, Izzy dropped the subject. But he observed his old friend all afternoon and, to his surprise, kept catching him glancing at Sora. Jyou seemed so despondent when Sora was playfully punching Tai, or when she spoke with Matt, or even when she was laughing with Mimi. Izzy couldn't help but pull Jyou aside.

"Jyou, it's Sora, isn't it?"

"Uh, NO!" Jyou responded, just a little too loudly.

"Hmm...did you and Sora become close over at Todai?"

Jyou started tugging at his collar uncomfortably as he responded, "What? Huh? Pushuu...nahh."

"And," Izzy continued, "You must have spend a lot of time with her, since she's a freshman and you're her only friend there."

Jyou looked even more uncomfortable. "Izzy, you are totally wrong. I mean...Sora goes to Todai? News to me!"

Then Izzy finished, "And now you've fallen for her!" Izzy was gleaming, with a look of satisfaction on his face. But the smile quickly faded when he looked at Jyou, who was a bit embarrassed and looked a little sad.

"Oh, sorry Jyou."

"No, it's okay, Izzy. You're right. I think I have fallen for her. But the thing is, it's not like it was with Mimi. The way I feel about Sora – I never felt that way about Mimi."

"And you're kind of sad that she's barely spoken to you since we've been here?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I just feel like our friendship isn't as great as I thought. Am I only a friend to her out of convenience?"

Izzy thought for a moment, and putting his hand on the older boy's shoulder, said, "Jyou, I know Sora, She's not like that. And you know what?" Izzy paused and looked at Jyou. "Sora's a special girl. And remember, she has the crest of love – I think she values you a lot more than you think."

"Thanks, Izzy, I appreciate it."

"Hey lovebirds, why don't you come join the group?" Tai yelled across the way. The rest of the Digidestined had walked several stores down from Jyou and Izzy. The two rushed over quickly to rejoin their friends.

Jyou collapsed on his sofa at home, tired from the long day of Christmas shopping. 'No one at home,' he thought, 'A perfect time to catch some z's.'

But just as Jyou drifted off to dreamland, his cell phone started ringing. In a daze, Jyou grabbed his cell and looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jyou!"

"Hi, Sora," Jyou responded. Still halfway between being awake and asleep, Jyou wondered for a second if this was dream or reality.

"Jyou, I was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee tonight."

"Yeah, absolutely. When?"

"Can you meet now? I have so many things going on with family tonight and the next few days, but I really wanted to see you before Christmas."

_She really wants to see me?_

"Yeah, sure. I'm headed right over. Normal spot, right?"

"Yep! See you there!"


End file.
